flag poles

Kids in Kindergarten (our rainbow group) will gladly make anything, as there's excitement in the use of tools and in seeing what you're learning develop in concrete form. My student Lane asked, "Do I get to take this home?" That's an important question that shows a direct line from home to school, that builds important links. The students are proud of what they've made and want to share. That they have  a concrete expression of what they've learned makes that age old question, "what did you do in school today?" easy for children to answer.

Yesterday's project was making "flag poles," each being a piece of wood tenoned to fit in a base and adorned with wooden flags. The kids  (with help)operated the drill press and a cordless drill with tenoner, then sanded and decorated the parts and assembled them. With the right tools and preparation in place only a half hour lesson was necessary.

Children having more year's practice in wood shop have more complex ideas. Three of my students decided yesterday that they wanted to design and make a board game for classroom use. So I helped make game pieces on the lathe that they insisted are needed. Over the next two weeks we'll see whether they bring their board game to a finished form.

Make, fix and create. Assist others in learning likewise.